Fruit & Vegetable: U of G researchers look to balance smart farming with food security

Rozita Dara. Photo courtesy of the University of Guelph.

Canada’s wide-open farm fields are especially vulnerable to cybersecurity and data privacy attacks and unethical use of data, according to University of Guelph researchers.

Just as farmers work to protect their crops and livestock from pests and disease, technology providers, governments and farmers need to recognize potential risks associated with cyberattacks and data misuse that come with ever more pervasive “smart farming” technology, said Rozita Dara, a professor in the university’s college of engineering and physical sciences.

Effective governance of farm data and technology is key to ensuring food security as farmers look to provide more food for growing populations, she said. Food production needs to increase by 70 per cent to meet the needs of the expected world population by 2050, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO).

This article originally featured in Fruit & Vegetable Magazine. Read the full version here.